Brands to use 'seamless storytelling' to boost TV-to-mobile ad synching in 2015
Advertisers will spend more of their media outlay trying to coordinate TV ads with complimentary promotions online in 2015 as advances in automated trading fuel their search for more unified campaign planning, according to a report.
Of the seven hours UK consumers spend viewing content on screens, less than a third (32 per cent) is simultaneous consumption of another digital screen while watching TV, finds Millward Brown’s AdReaction study.
In comparison, the number of people who use one screen only to stop and shift to another was 68 per cent, equating to 213 minutes of their total daily screen usage.
The biggest multi-screen marketing opportunities therefore are reaching people at points in the day when they switch from one device to another, which the study claimed could boost synergistic multiscreen campaigns.
This is due to the potency of “meshing”, whereby TV and a digital screen are used to consume related content. Consumers spend around 7 per cent of their daily screen time accessing related content from mobile devices, while nearly a quarter (24 per cent) is used to conduct unrelated media tasks while watching TV.
Bridging the gap between TV and mobile
While consumers are currently more inclined to turn to mobile devices to fill the time during a break, there is evidence to suggest that they are still willing to give advertisers their attention. TV ads promoting web URLs and Facebook pages are most noticed in the UK and viewers are most impressed by those adverts that span multiple screens in "entertaining" and "useful" ways, according to the report.
It is this realisation that technology providers such as Infectious Media and WyWy are looking to exploit in 2015, promising brands the ability to synchronise the purchase of TV and mobile inventory via programmatic trading.
WPP and Facebook have already started offering similar services but Milllward Brown expects more advertisers to adopt the tactic as they look to establish a “familiar” and “popular” approach to closing the gap between TV and mobile.
Duncan Southgate, global brand director of digital at Millward Brown, said: “Second-screen synching isn’t just about media efficiency and hitting consumers with multiple messages, it’s also a new storytelling opportunity that allows brands to add extra value for people who just watched their TV spot.”
Some 60 per cent of people say they are more likely to pay attention to an advert if it is on TV, a trend compounded by the medium occupying the highest share of screen time. Digital ad receptivity is lower across devices, found the report, however brands cannot solely rely on TV to continue powering the performance of their campaigns.
As mobile usage starts to dominate screen time in the day, marketers must find ways to create a consistent presence across devices, “whenever and wherever someone chooses to engage with your brand”, urged researchers.
Seamless storytelling
Domino’s, BT, Ikea and Disney are leading the way in exploiting the opportunity for seamless storytelling in the UK claimed researchers, finding “simple” and effective” ways to reinforce TV creative with mobile content. Rather than attempt to advertise across all media, these advertisers are using TV as a trigger point for tasks that need to be completed on a digital device.
In the UK, TV ads are still most associated with salience and meeting needs while smartphone ads help brands be seen as different and setting trends, the report revealed.
Domino’s has been taking advantage of the trend on Saturday evenings when it is able to reach millions through its sponsorship of ITV’s X-Factor app. The tie-up, which lets the company drive orders around the show using a series of e-commerce and real-time promotions, is a template for future initiatives where the brand said it becomes a “key” part of viewing behavior rather than just enhancing it. Domino’s is also pulling social media further into the fold, using Twitter’s TV targeting to lift engagement rates of reactive content as high as 28 per cent.
Mark Holden, head of Futures at Arena, said: “It's important not to overestimate how much attention users might pay to marketing initiatives that target the second screen. However, when we've identified a good reason to tap into second-screening, and a good way to do it, we have seen good results.
“Though the digital experience might not be a true second-screening interaction, it may still have value as a campaign multiplier alongside TV.”
Ivo Roefs, chief executive at DDB & Tribal Amsterdam, which is producing second- screen campaigns with Heineken, Adidas and KLM, added: “Second screen is set to rise, because second-screen usage is on the rise. And because the second screen does not just get to reach you but the opportunity of – real time - interaction. As TV is still great and touching us on an emotional level, the way forward is simultaneously with TV giving you an opportunity to connect.”
Broadcasters are jumping on board
It is not just advertisers hoping to master the second-screen dynamic. Broadcasters including BBC, ITV and Channel 4 are trying to extend viewers’ experiences for defensive and opportunistic reasons as they look to shape unique propositions around premium content.
Kelly Williams, managing director of ITV Commercial, said the media owner is “ideally placed” to create “premium bonding moments” and offer “advertisers the chance to access a more engaged and responsive audience”. The opportunity refers to the broadcaster’s conclusion that “television meets a primal human need for bonding”, following its “Primal Screen” study.
The report, conducted by Flamingo Research, found that viewers are two times more likely to believe more thought had gone into the ads during “high intensity TV bonding moments” when they feel a connection with family, friends and the nation.
During these moments, they are also three times more likely to find themselves paying more attention to the ads than normal, according to the study, and Four times more likely to find out more about the brands advertised.
The study was conducted earlier this year with 3,000 viewers across the UK.